1972 Topps Julius Erving #195 Value & Price Guide

Before Michael Jordan, before LeBron James, before anyone had a shoe deal or a signature line, there was Julius Erving. Dr. J didn't just play basketball. He reinvented it. He turned the act of dunking into art. He played above the rim when everyone else was stuck on the ground. And in 1972, Topps put him on card #195 in their basketball set, creating what would become the most valuable basketball card of the 1970s and one of the most important cards in the hobby.

The 1972 Topps Julius Erving #195 is a legitimate five-figure card in high grades. PSA 9 copies sell for $20,000-$40,000. A PSA 10, of which very few exist, would likely bring $100,000+.

Quick Value Summary

The Story

Julius Erving was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1972 NBA Draft but never played for them. Instead, he signed with the Virginia Squires of the ABA (American Basketball Association), the rival league that played with a red, white, and blue ball and emphasized entertainment and athleticism. It was the perfect league for Dr. J.

The 1972-73 Topps set was the first and only Topps basketball set to include ABA players alongside NBA players. This is critical because without this set, there would be no major-manufacturer rookie card of Julius Erving from his early playing years. The ABA was a separate league with limited media coverage, and card companies largely ignored it. Topps bridged that gap for exactly one year.

Erving's card shows him in a Virginia Squires uniform, identified as a "Forward." The card design features the classic 1972-73 Topps basketball border with the player's name and team. It looks unremarkable at first glance, which is part of what makes surviving high-grade copies so scarce: kids didn't protect them.

Dr. J went on to become one of basketball's all-time greats. He won two ABA championships and an NBA championship (with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983). He won three MVP awards. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993. His slam dunk from the free throw line in the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest remains one of the most replayed moments in basketball history.

How to Identify It

Key visual markers: The card shows Erving in a red Virginia Squires jersey. His name appears at the bottom along with "SQUIRES" and "FORWARD." Card number 195 is on the back.

Set identification: 1972-73 Topps Basketball is a 264-card set. The design features a colored border (varies by team) around the player photo. Erving's card has a distinctive border color.

Common confusions: Don't confuse this with Erving's 1975 Topps card #300 (which shows him with the New York Nets) or any later NBA-era cards. The 1972 card is the rookie and the key.

Centering challenges: The 1972-73 Topps basketball set is notorious for poor centering. Finding a well-centered Erving is significantly harder than finding the card itself. Centering is the primary factor preventing most examples from achieving PSA 9 or 10.

Value by Condition

PSA 1-2 (Poor to Good): $100 - $300 Heavy wear, creasing, staining, or damage. Still identifiable and still worth more than you'd think, given the name and the rookie status.

PSA 3-4 (VG to VG-EX): $300 - $1,000 Noticeable wear but complete and presentable. Moderate creasing, corner wear, surface scuffing. This is the entry-level collector grade.

PSA 5-6 (EX to EX-MT): $1,500 - $4,000 Minor wear. Clean surface. Possibly a centering issue preventing a higher grade. Solid collector copies that display well.

PSA 7 (NM): $4,000 - $8,000 Minor imperfections only. Good centering (or at least not terrible). Sharp corners. The sweet spot for value-conscious collectors.

PSA 8 (NM-MT): $8,000 - $18,000 Excellent condition with sharp corners, clean surfaces, and above-average centering for the set. Getting into investment territory.

PSA 9 (Mint): $20,000 - $40,000 Nearly perfect. Strong centering, sharp corners, flawless surface. Very few 1972 Topps basketball cards achieve PSA 9 due to production quality issues.

PSA 10 (Gem Mint): $100,000+ Perfect or near-perfect. The centering, corners, edges, and surface all grade at the highest level. Only a tiny handful exist. These are freakishly well-preserved examples from a set that was poorly manufactured by modern standards.

Known Variations

The 1972-73 Topps basketball set does not have major variations like some other sets. However:

Centering extremes: Some examples are so badly off-center that they show portions of adjacent cards. These "miscut" examples are generally worth less unless they appeal to error collectors.

Color variations: Minor differences in ink density exist across the print run, affecting the richness of the border color and photo quality.

Authentication and Fakes

Trimming concerns: The enormous price jump from PSA 8 to PSA 9 ($8,000 to $20,000+) creates incentive for trimming. PSA checks for trimming during the grading process, but be cautious with raw cards that seem unusually well-centered.

Reprints: Topps has issued reprint sets that include Erving. These are marked as reprints and are worth only a few dollars, but unscrupulous sellers may try to pass them as originals.

Professional grading is essential for any example you believe could be PSA 7 or above. The $20+ grading fee is trivial relative to the card's value.

Where to Sell

eBay (all grades): Strong market for vintage basketball rookies. PSA 7 and above copies move quickly. Fees around 13%.

Goldin Auctions (PSA 8+): Excellent results for high-grade vintage basketball cards. Their buyer pool skews toward premium examples.

Heritage Auctions (PSA 9+): For the top-tier examples, Heritage's sports auction platform drives strong prices.

Card shows (PSA 6 and below): Quick sales at 60-70% of market value.

Expected costs for a PSA 8 sale (~$12,000): PSA grading (if needed): $75-$150. Insured shipping: $30-$50. eBay fees: ~$1,560. Net to seller: roughly $10,200-$10,800.

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